Craftsy Will Offer a Subscription Model in 2018

July 15, 2017 5:03 pm EST: We’ve changed the title of this article to make it more clear that Craftsy will be adding an additional membership option, not taking away the a la cart purchasing option and customers will be able to keep the classes they’ve already bought. We’ve also added additional information about pricing, distribution, and instructor compensation as it became available.

In a letter signed by CEO John Levisay and sent to instructors yesterday, Craftsy announced that it will begin offering a subscription payment model beginning in 2018 in addition to the current a la carte model. “While some people love our in-depth tutorials, many people who aren’t currently using Craftsy find our a la carte only model to be a barrier and want to engage with our content in a variety of ways,” the letter stated. Craftsy learned what those barriers were during a consumer insights study conducted last year. Many changes have resulted from that study including a sight redesign last summer that better integrated supplies with classes and patterns, and the launch of DVDs earlier this year. Membership allows customers to binge watch many hours worth of videos over a weekend, for example, without the barrier of deciding what to watch and purchasing additional materials.

The new membership model will allow consumers to stream the entire Craftsy online class catalog for a monthly fee with the option of purchasing a class to keep at an additional cost using an “Own Forever” feature. This model is similar competitor Creativebug’s subscription model which is priced at $4.95/month. JoAnn purchased a majority share in Creativebug earlier this year. Information is not available yet on Craftsy’s membership pricing, although in a video call with instructors on Friday Levisay stated that membership would definitely be more than $2/month. Such a low cost membership fee wouldn’t be sustainable with the company’s large marketing spend per class. Currently Craftsy classes are priced individually and range from $9.99-69.99 under the a la carte model.

In May it was announced that NBCUniversal had bought a majority share in Craftsy for around $230 million. The instructor letter from yesterday emphasized the importance of this acquisition in exposing Craftsy content to new customers. “Given our new relationship with NBCUniversal, we are going to be able to reach new audiences at a scale previously unavailable to us,” it stated. In the video meeting Levisay emphasized that a membership model will allow the company to expand into English speaking markets outside of the US and, over time, with translation services in place, expand into the non-English speaking world. Levisay also indicated that Craftsy content could run on other video platforms. “You know what these platforms are,” he said, perhaps pointing to currently existing streaming services (although he stopped short of naming any in particular). On these platforms viewers would be able to watch Craftsy videos, but not download course materials such as patterns.

During the call Levisay and Danielle Wilkie, Head of Growth, explained that the membership product is still being built. The alpha test will begin shortly with a few hundred users and beta will launch in the fall. Craftsy experimented with membership once before, in October of 2015, and Levisay says the consumption rates for video classes were “very high,” although the company failed to be upfront with instructors regarding the compensation model during that trial run leading to some feelings of distrust.

Instructors will be issued new contracts at the end of next week. Royalty percentages will remain the same and membership payouts will be figured based on minutes watched. Longer classes will have more available minutes to watch meaning more possible revenue earned. In the video call Levisay stated that his hope is for membership to triple or quadruple the size of the overall business.

222 Comments

Personally, I love the a la carte system. I usually get my classes on sale, but only some of the categories interest me and I go in spurts. Unless they keep some sort of a la carte feature, I will probably discontinue using Craftsy. Bummed about this decision and direction.

I prefer the ala carte system. I look for sales also. The one thing that I really hate are MONTHLY FEES. Then you are being charged wether you watch the class or not. Corporations think $$$$$. Oh just a little every month but if you think about starting low and raising the cost. Then you have big money. 😡

I also prefer the system as is. What is wrong with the CEO in Craftsy? do they really think that by charging a subscription, this is going to help them attain more customers ? I do not think so. Better they try to re-think this bad decision.
I will not subscribe nor be a part of their new plan. Pity, I really liked Craftsy as it was/is so far. Maybe plans should be made to improve things in other areas: for instance to improve classes, offer cheaper materials to all international customers and not limit it to USA/Canadian customers only. There is a lot of room for improvement.

Agree wholeheartedly. I live in UK it is just impossible to purchase any product from craftsy even in sale with the added cost of postage etc

Jeanette
on December 20, 2017 at 2:41 pm

I appreciate that Craftsy took the trouble to find out how to improve access to their product. I want them to make money and stay in business so I can keep the classes I have and continue to learn. I look forward to when I can watch their videos on a device on my TV.

I agree I want to keep the system I won’t pay a monthly subscription the reason I use Craftsy is so I keep my class for ever and to hear that on top of the fed you have to pay more money to keep it.i have been reducing my monthly subscriptions with companies as they are getting too expensive . I won’t use the other companies as they dont let you keep the class .

Not impressed and another money grab………..I love the classes I have paid for and the tutorials that I can continually watch over and over. Sad for Craftsy and I also will NOT subscribe period. Glad that the things we have purchased will remain as we have paid for them.

I prefer the a la carte system. I usually purchase from 2 streams and do not need access to everything else. I purchase when there is a sale and this system is working well for me.Please do not get rid of this system.

Agree 100%. Who even has time to use the site enough for a monthly fee to be beneficial? Haven’t seen the exact price, but $9.99 a month would equate to six classes at $19.99 (sale price). Very disappointed, but glad I can keep all the classes I’ve purchased over the years.

Jeanette – Exactly! That’s precisely why I purchased mine (and I purchased sooooo many). Have only watched a few right now, was really waiting for our lives to slow down after DH’s retirement in 1.5 yrs. I’m concerned that whatever answer is given to us today will not be consistent with reality down the road. I believe they should support the people who supported Craftsy, and that would be by offering us our paid-for info on DVD’s or etc. (and hopefully at no charge). I’ll be contacting them.

I am not in agreement with the “FLIPPING THE SCRIPT” idea. Like many others, I bought and paid hundreds of dollars for classes to keep ‘forever’ as was sold. I was never Informed [so be careful of law suit Craftsy ] of a sly move to now charge a “membership” fee to access tutorials already paid for. Battlefield is going to destroy the marketing of Craftsy with such moves. DVD should have been offered up front long ago. I am not interested in marriage with Craftsy without a divorce that enforces my ownership of my property. Like others I purchased for retirement security. RETIREMENT goes without saying expedible fund’s are limited. I purchased with expendable income for a time when expendable income is reduced. This move is coming from a narrowly defined audience who really do not have time for Craftsy and will not purchase. So to speak to the already users of Craftsy is a greed static!

K Harvey
on October 20, 2017 at 7:31 pm

Me too!! I am buying now while I have the money! I have invested a lot of money in Craftsy classes, and I have been in since the beginning. They were sold as forever classes. There are classes I haven’t even watched, I too am waiting for things to slow down once I am retired. I just hope the classes are still around – they had better be!

I’m not happy about this change. I will not pay a monthly fee. I’m not interested in everything thing, I just want to buy what I’m interested in and not shuffling through a lengthy catalog. I enjoy a sale buy. I’ll just keep what I bought and move on then. Paying a monthly fee to have the privilege to search your catalog is ridiculous!

Thank you Abby, for reiterating this point as the thread grows. I’ve bought classes, but will not become a subscriber under the proposed new model. I’m not worried about losing access to my existing classes, although I regret that Craftsy is moving to a subscription model. PS I’m writing from Scotland (should this fact have any relevance whatsoever!)
By the way Abby, I really enjoy reading your blog:)

Barbara
on July 21, 2017 at 11:49 pm

For now. They can change their mind again at any time in the future. Makes me less likely to purchase from them in the future. I would feel MUCH better if there was some way to download and SAVE the files for the classes I’ve already purchased for future use.

Tim
on October 2, 2017 at 2:50 am

If everyone is so concerned about the classes they have purchased there is an option to download the class and save to their computer, USB stick or other media.

Irene
on November 14, 2017 at 11:21 am

How do you download the video classes that were bought? I thought you could only play them.

I got an ad in my Facebook feed offering “Craftsy Unlimited” for $14.99 a month, and now I can’t find the ad. It came with a 7-day “free trial” if you signed up, and I was going to do it from my laptop after seeing the ad on FB on my phone. Of course, when I pulled up FB on my phone, the ad was gone. The URL it took me to on my phone was unlimited.craftsy.com but when I put that in my browser, it doesn’t exist. I wonder if they jumped the gun on the FB ad, given that their subscription model is to start in 2018 with the beta in the fall…?
Personally, I was going to sign up for the 7-day trial and look around. There are many Craftsy classes I would like to try but don’t want to pay the purchase price only to find out I won’t use it. I like the subscription idea, and if it truly is $14.99/month, then it’s cheaper than the $19 a month charged by ArtTutor.

Subscribers will be able to access the entire library and there will also be subscriber-only content that a la carte purchasers won’t be able to access.

Gail
on August 5, 2017 at 2:41 pm

Abby,
You are correct. I finally found the ad again and clicked the link. It had me fill out a survey to possibly be chosen as a tester for the model when the beta is ready in the fall. Personally, I hope I get chosen! 🙂

I love Craftsy, and I know they can’t/won’t take away what I have already bought. (Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Craftsy in any way other than my past purchases.) I would love to be able to scout out other classes and areas of creative interest on an unlimited basis! I would also welcome the opportunity to try it out and help them fix any glitches or features that are possibly unfair to those of us who’ve already purchased classes.

Gail
on August 5, 2017 at 2:43 pm

P.S. The link I clicked said the monthly fee would be $14.99…not sure if that is set in stone or if it is something they will reconsider during the beta testing.

EMc
on July 13, 2017 at 3:03 pm

Not a fan of this idea. I have spent a lot of money on classes! And I don’t want to pay a fee every month for something I don’t use every month. I seriously doubt that I would subscribe. This is what happens when a unique product is bought out by a big conglomerate–they change it, make it like everything else already out there, and the unique features its users love disappear.

I’ve also bought several classes. But, if i’m reading this right I’ll forever own them. So, if they don’t charge the 4.95 just to watch the one’s i already own, I see no problem… AND for a small fee you can watch any of the rest!

I am absolutely certain that accessing the classes we already own will require navigating a horrific barrage of ads. They are not going to cease trying to sell the subscription content and service to non-subscription users. I can see already that I’m going to get so irritated that I’ll probably walk away from my entire investment before I will endure that high-pressure sales nonsense. I’ll just go back to watching YouTube tutorials. It is one thing to pay a one-time price for a class that I may or may not ever watch. It is entirely unacceptable to me to pay a monthly fee for something I may only use 4 or 5 times per year.

Appreciate your response, however, it leaves me uneasy. I have invested in enough classes for a lifetime, so lots of $$$, and am concerned. Is there a link or e-mail address for the parties involved in the decision-making process where those of us who wish to make our concerns noted could drop a line?

Abby, thank you so much for your very quick response. I appreciate it!

Cindy Weeks
on July 13, 2017 at 4:17 pm

As soon as I read that NBC bought into Craftsy, I have been waiting for the changes. I, also, wonder how this will affect our instructors. Hopefully, if our favorites do move on they will offer classes on their sites.

Yes, I think that’s a great option and I hope to see more of that too. It’s much more supportive of the maker herself to create professional content that she herself can control… pricing, where it’s offered, how it’s offered…

I gave up my creative bug subscription because I didn’t want to keep paying the monthly fee. So much prefer to own my classes. So what happens to the clip poses I own? I hope there a, new set classes separate from the orginal.
I travel a lot and for months I don’t look at class but when I’m home I go back to my old classes. To be paying when I don’t use this service sells un fair.I own over 100 classes, so I’ll not happy.

This is disappointing. I dont purchase a lot of classes, and there are only a couple of categories I am interested in. I find them very useful when I am researching something new, but that’s not every month.

Not sure how I feel about this exactly . If my forever classes disappear, I’ll be upset. Leaning towards not being interested at all. So much in there outside my interests, so I most likely won’t suscbribe.

Think is not what I really want to hear! I’ve spent a lot of money on craftsy classes with the understanding that I would always have these classes! Changing that would be devastating to me and many others that have invested in these classes!

Even those who will opt to be in the subscription membership can purchase classes for “forever” so it’s clear to see that being able to use the ala carte method will continue. There are still a lot of details to be worked out from what I’ve heard.

I, too, have invested $$$ in my classes and don’t want to pay monthly since I refer to them sporadically. Some classes I purchased on sale with the intention of watching them in the future so I haven’t even used some of my classes.

I also wonder if my collection of patterns in my pattern library will be inaccessable as well. If so, I will be very unhappy and will decline to purchase a subscription as I did similarly with Creative Bug when they went to a subscription format.

I appts I ate the fact that you have reiterated over and over again ttat people will still have access to their content that they have already purchased. I also have purchased content which I would like to keep. I am positive that craftsy will make sure that their customers can still access their classes without having to pay a monthly subscription fee. This change just opens the door for those of us who are interested in experimenting with other creative media. I am thrilled that craftsy has provided the opportunity for customers to expand their horizons and yet keep the same platform in place for those who do not wish to step outside of their comfort zones. I know I will most certainly be taking advantage of the opportunity to pay a subscription fee in order to have access to over 1200+ classes in everything from cooking Mexican food to perspective drawing to sewing form fitting pieces to knitting toe up socks. I dont know how anyone could see this as a negative thing ESPECIALLY when they are not being forced to change or alter their current process in any way. I think it is futile to try to borrow trouble to worry about. Don’t we have enough actual things to worry about already instead of the ” what- ifs”?

I am also concerned about losing access to the on-line classes that I’ve already purchased. And like so many others have already stated, there is too much content that I’m not interested in, so I would not want to subsribe. This is obviously a decision being made based soley on profit margin and not on customer satisfaction. I hope they are looking at all the angles and understand that they will most likely lose a lot of their current customer base.

No, it isn’t! It is based on a test run they did in October 2015, when you could buy a month for 10€. People loved it! And did love it, too! It made me buy a lot classes I wouldn’t have bought without being able to verify there is an instructor I love and content I need to learn. I did binge watch the whole weekend, it was tremendous fun.

Furthermore any bought classes will still have the lifetime access, the subscription is just another option. Craftsy made that very clear!

You should give it a try, it is really fun to binge watch in your holidays.

I must admit I did enjoy binge watching recently. It gave me the opportunity to watch classes I wouldn’t normally have thought to buy. However, in this world of pay a little subscription here, another there…….pretty soon a little becomes one heck of a commitment !! $14.99 is too much. $4-5 might be worth considering, any more and I am not interested.

I agree that we don’t know the answer to this yet, nor do we know how it will affect instructor income. For instructor income the letter said it would “incremental.” What that means exactly we don’t know yet.

There was one time about 2 years ago that Craftsy offered some customers access to all classes for one fee. I didn’t know this had been offered until I couldn’t watch the classes that I had paid for because the site was so overloaded and bogged down. If Craftsy is going to a subscription fee they are going to have to increase their bandwidth to be able to accommodate the extra traffic this will generate.
I personally think this is a very bad idea.

You’re right. I don’t work for Craftsy and they haven’t announced those details yet. This is just my conjecture.

Phyllis Smith
on July 13, 2017 at 6:16 pm

I’m also uneasy about this. I to have purchased a lot of classes and hate to see the a la carte feature go away. The membership subscription means I will pay for the class twice. Once to stream another if I want “own it”. Sometimes progress is not always good. Alas all good things must come to an end. Ugh!

I have lots and lots of classes on craftsy and will like to view them, without paying any additional amount, I have already paid lots. If craftsy changes the policy and require at anytime more money for these courses I will have to terminate my relationship with them. I think most people will feel this way.

I dont subscribe. I have many Craftsy classes that I own and want to continue to purchase and own classes. It is disappointing for me to see this. Hopefully the option to own one class will still be available. Who did they survey??!! The CEO’s of NBCUniversal?

The way I see it, we have a contract with Craftsy that we have bought classes with the understanding that they are ours to keep. I do not believe that NBC can change the terms of a contract without our agreement, even if they change the format or am I wrong? I’m a Brit, so how would that legal aspect be addressed?

Do you mean acces to our paid for classes only if we subscribe? I would not subscribe for something I use intermittently. As someone else has already stated I also believe we have a contract with Craftsy for permanent unrestricted access. I neither like nor want this change at all.

I never comment on these things, but there is no indication any of us will lose our classes! It also sounds like it’s an opt-in situation. Just because Craftsy was bought by NBC doesn’t mean they’re suddenly going to start screwing their customers over, that wouldn’t be very smart! Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt before everybody gets all up in arms, assuming the worst. Let’s just wait and see what they say. Now, it’s time to get back to Suzy Furrer…

I did the survey and I was emphatic that I would not use a subscription service and I still am. I do not use Creative Bug for this reason.

With all the other things I pay every month I can’t afford another monthly commitment but I’ve paid many hundreds of dollars to Craftsy in months when I can afford it to own my classes outright and subscription free.

I add my voice to those who hope we won’t have to pay for membership to watch what we already own. I won’t be giving any more money to this company unless this will still be an option.

I also only buy knitting classes – access to every subject area is not something I would be interested in.

I am not a fan of Craftsy becoming subscription. I prefer the la crate feature! I am not a fan of subscription sites in general though. At this point in y life I have to consider each and every “monthly expense”.

I don’t want to pay a monthly fee to be able to access what I already “own” .

That being said. I am hopeful that the ‘powers that be ‘ will take everything that they read in these comments into consideration and that all will be well. I cannot criticize or make any decisions about Craftsy until I know the full plans for the revised website.

I sure hope that the classes I’ve spent $$$ on will still be mine to view at my leisure. We were told we would have access at any time and I hope they stay true to their statements when working up their new contract with NBC. If not, there will be a lot of unhappy consumers. I am not a fan of a subscription membership as I’m not interested in some of the other categories.

I wrote to craftsy about this and they were very quick to respond to all my inquiries. This is what I was told:

“Thank you for reaching out to us. I completely understand your concern, but rest assured, the subscription option is simply another option for our millions of members.

Customers who sign up for the Membership program will have streaming access to the full Craftsy catalog for a monthly fee, and if they want to purchase a class to keep forever, they will still have the option to do so using an “Own Forever” feature within Membership.

More information will be available as it comes but we’ll be sure to keep you in the loop. If you need anything else, please do not hesitate to ask.”

An additional inquiry got this response:

“You do not need to subscribe to buy a class. A subscription simply allows you access to all of the classes but if you only want one class at a time that option is still available!”

I will look elsewhere for on-line classes. Like so many others, I can’t afford a monthly subscription fee for something I don’t use on a monthly basis. Too bad they can’t offer unlimited access for those who want to see all the classes and an a la carte for those who only use occasionally.

I’m not keen on subscriptions idea at all! I would not like lose my already purchased classes or have to pay to see them again!
I personally think it’s a bad move unless you address these issues very clearly!

We aren’t affiliated with Craftsy. Craft Industry Alliance is a trade association and we are just reporting on this story. If you have questions for Craftsy please direct them to customer service on Craftsy.com.

Betty Parrott
on July 13, 2017 at 10:39 pm

I agree with what everyone so far has said, except for the one that liked the idea, so no need for me to be repetitive. They had something that worked for the consumers and now they are messing with it. It will probably come back to bite them in the rear…

I do not like the idea of a subscription service. I never joined creativebug because of it, or Quilter’s Circle. I hope the subscription service is optional and that I will still have access to all the classes I have purchased. I don’t want to pay monthly to view what I already paid for. The subscription should be an option for people who want that, otherwise it is a terrible idea.

I share the concerns of many on here. I’ve bought a lot of classes over the years some with the intention of taking them in the future. Some I’m only halfway through and others I want to watch again or refer to. Not sure a monthly subscription would fit my budget or that I would use it every month.

For me, it all depends on the actual monthly fee. I enjoy Creativebug. For $4.95 a month, I have tried many different things than I would not have tried if I had to buy individual classes. And, every month, I get a credit to keep a class in my library, for forever access, even if I stop paying monthly. I do own a handful of Craftsy classes and have been mostly happy with them. And I try to buy them on sale. But for the amount of Craftsy classes I own, I still haven’t quite paid that much to Creativebug. If the monthly fee is reasonable to me, I would totally consider signing up because there are topics it would be fun to try, without buying. I am interested to see how it goes.

I have bought a number of classes, sewing, bag making, knitting, and each have been wonderful. I intend to subscribe as I love the classes, and anticipate with such a purchasing structure I will finally be able to take classes that have interested me but not enough to justify the cost, most specifically the cooking classes.

Coincidence or what? 🙂 I’ve been subscribing to Creativebug for about 2 years and buying classes from Craftsy of much longer. I just this week decided to cancel my Creativebug subscription as I rarely use its content. I’ve come to feel that much – but by no means all – of its content is rather lightweight and general magasine level eye catching/simple. The platform feels a tad clunky and some classes come over as lackingin production values. Whereas Craftsy delivers high quality – often in-depth – material from a very broad team of teachers who have already acheived distinction in their field well beyond the Craftsy platform. So I will become a subscriber in due course but with a layer of trepidation that this change could mark the commencement of a dumbing down process for its current superb content. We shall see…..

Anyone remember the Netflix debacle when they shifted their pricing. Still am not a Netflix customer. As long as I keep my forever classes I don’t care what they do, unless the go out of business and I lose them all. I won’t be subscribing

I’m also not interested in getting a subscription… Why would you take someone that it’s unique and model it after something that is already out there? Makes no sense… Usually to gain market share your want to me unique not the same as everyone else 🤔

I have purchased nearly 40 classes and they had better remain mine as that was how they were advertised! I will not subscribe to a subscription of any sort with craftsy as. Like to pick and choose! I need to be figuring out how to download my classes!

I do not do monthly subscriptions of anything,,, I sure hope Craftsy rethinks this model,, and if they insist make it separate site from the way Craftsy is now…… and leave this one alone. sometimes change is not good.

I too have quite a lot of classes that I own. I don’t want to see commercials on content I already purchased, but if I ever get through all of those, I’d probably be interested in the monthly subscriptions. For example, I’d love to watch some of the sewing garments ones, but since I haven’t really tackled that in a long time, I have not been compelled to buy classes. I also think the subscription service would be good as it would open me to new things that I have interest in like painting, but haven’t really tried. However, now that I know, I won’t be purchasing any new classes.

Pretty sure legally they won’t be able to take away our purchased or make us pay to watch them as we all lnow for darn sure those classes were bought for a “lifetime”. I would think the smartest thing to do would just offer the monthly subscription to those who are interested as “bait” to get them to either buy lifetime clesses or else forget that they’ve subscribed and cash in on thier forgetfulness.

I personally love the idea. When they had the sub service as a trial last time, I was all over it. I watched a lot of the classes out of my area of interest, and I enjoyed it.

I quit buying a lot of the classes on Craftsy when the marketing campaign wasn’t even or in many cases even fair. The tiered marketing turned me off (why do some get 14.99 classes and others 24.99? huh?)

The subscription service is at least making me look forward to something from Craftsy for a change.

If you like your Dr. you can keep your Dr. . Been there before. I expect Craftsy knows the decision to change won’t please everyone. The ones that don’t like the change aren’t enough in numbers to matter though.

I totally agree with others who have commented that they like the current a la carte method. I am totally against paying a monthly fee. So many companies are going in this direction. It is not for customer convenience, believe me. Amazon has Kindle Unlimited and Music Unlimited for monthly fees. I don’t subscribe to those either because it is a complete waste of money. I will really hate to part ways with Craftsy but if this is the direction they are going in, so be it.

I actually like this idea. When I’ve got time to dedicate to sewing or knitting or whatever, I’ll subscribe for a couple of months. Then cancel and move on to whatever else inspires me. This is how I treat Ancestry.com – work on genealogy for a couple of months and then cancel and come back later.

Here are my thoughts on the whole thing, and I must say I do feel better after reading Gabby716’s response above from Craftsy, indicating that it’s only an OPTION.

I’m fine with them ADDING an option to subscribe (if, for example, you have nothing but money and free time and an obsession to learn), while maintaining the current option already in existence, whereby those who choose to purchase classes on an as-desired basis can continue as established.

There should ALWAYS be at least two options: subscription with ownership option, AND as-you-go flat-out ownership. Sure, the monthly fee may “only” be the cost of a coffee at Big Name Chain and give you unlimited access to everything. Sure, owning a class might cost more initially. But it is worth having the two options available to all, if it means allowing those who wish to do so to have ongoing access to what we’ve already paid for or have been using, regardless of how often we use it or how things change in our lives.

We all hit rough patches now and then, where we go into “bill triage” and “small monthly fees” add up to luxuries needing to be trimmed. It’s hard to justify even a $5/month fee, if the dollars are squeezed so tightly that what used to be a morning latté is now the difference between having enough gas to get to work or not. (Been there, done that, survived it, rose above it.)

So. Let us hold onto our one-at-a-time non-subscription option and keep things as is for us, and offer the OPTION to do a subscription. That might not be NBC’s favorite business model, but it’s the most fair to its current users.

They should also consider allowing those who’ve been one-at-a-time to be grandfathered in if they wish to become subscribers, and get a discount based on how much they’ve already spent. So if I’ve bought 10 classes at $20 each (easy math), I’ve spent $200. Therefore, at a $5/month subscriber fee, I should be granted the first 40 months fee-free, and only have to pay to buy NEW classes.

I would also think that if you already own a vast amount of classes, let’s say 50 or 100, then you should just be granted automatic lifetime membership (free of charge) and only pay for new classes that you want to own outright.

If they ever go to a subscription-only method, then everyone who had classes prior to this should be given the option to receive their already-paid-for classes on DVD for no extra cost. Since they are “ours forever” and all.

I do not want monthly subscription. Like buying classes individually I own forever and getting instructor feedback if I have a question. If they go to subscription it is bye bye . also like sales they have on classes. makes me want to try new crafts.

So far I’ve only bought 1 class but I bought it, not rented, it so I too will be very unhappy if I loose it. I am not interested in a monthly membership/fee as I shop just occasionally and financially it would not be in my favor.

Unless Craftsy starts offering classes like the ones they started with (ie Pam Howard’s Classic tailored shirt, Susan Khalje’s Couture Dress) I will not be a customer. I’m disappointed in the direction they have gone.

As I am one of those people with a wealth of Craftsy classes that I haven’t actually watched yet, I would hope that people like me who were promised lifetime access would be treated fairly. I’ve always wondered about that “lifetime” thing, as I feel that a lot of online companies promise this but 20 years from now, who will be there to enforce it? Because of my backlog I would probably not want to subscribe to monthly access, unless some new kind of class were to be created, something that delivers more than the traditional classes. And yes, being inundated with ads for the monthly version would be extremely annoying. I’m subscribed to some other monthly payment organization for quilting techniques. It looks great on the surface but in reality they keep sending a barrage of ads offering the next higher level of service, sometimes even implying in their headlines that I already have it. I’m so annoyed by them I forget to go to the classes that I do have access to.

I have paid classes so I’m glad I get to keep them. Monthly payments are not my thing. I have a specific interest so the fees wouldn’t be worth it. I will also switch where I buy my supplies. I buy online & I will use a company I feel comfortable with. I wish you the best of luck to the future. Peace

I own many Craftsy classes and I purchased them so I could go back to them as many times as I want. I am skeptical about the subscription idea working as planned. Regardless, I don’t purchase subscription services. I much prefer to pick and choose what I want and pay only for that item. When I first discovered Craftsy, I was uneasy making a purchase of an online class versus a DVD. This is why. I will not be purchasing more classes from Craftsy until I see how this all works out. I had planned to purchase two more classes at the next sale. Bummer!

I love the subscription option and definitely will get one. Craftsy test drove this in October either last year or the year before and I thoroughly enjoyed being able to pick and choose selections from any video I wanted. I ended up purchasing 4 of those classes with the subscription month ended.

My goodness people!! Doesn’t anyone read articles in their entirety anymore!?!? No one is losing what they bought, and no one will be forced to subscribe! It’s an ADDITIONAL option! It has no impact on what you already own and have access to! All that being said, I’m not fond of yet another subscription, but if the price is right, I might consider it, and again, doesn’t impact what I already own. Hopefully the designers will be getting a fair shake in this deal. If not, I’d be very very wary of subscribing.

Hey, Cheryl. Although I understand your frustration reading through these comments, to be fair we edited the article (as stated at the top) as Craftsy released more information. Many of these comments came in before the clarifications from them.

AHHHHHHHHHHHhhh Thank you for that insight. I just thought, holy cow, are we really at a place where we don’t read all of an article?!?! It’s actually great to know that yes we do read it all, the article just changed!! Excellent!!

I hope the Craftsy developers have carefully read all these comments. This is the vocal part of the group, and people who read and know about these changes now. I’d say it might be a good representation of the reception the new plan might receive, if it isn’t explained more clearly.

I’d just be happy if in all this the pop up telling me where to find my purchases goes away! It’s been a long time, and I don’t need it to keep popping up every time I get something. =)

And what about all the printable materials that are offered in the classes I have already purchased? Such as some instruction as well as pattern pieces. Will I still be able to access those in the classes I have already purchased as mine forever? I have several I have not viewed yet. When it comes to needing the pattern pieces and printed instruction, for example, am I going to be out of luck on that front?

Like most of the others, this change concerns me. This always seems to happen when a big conglomerate gets control of something. Everything free goes away, and you pay for the privilege of using the site. I, for one, don’t do that. If Craftsy requires a subscription, I will no longer be a part of it. I’m recently retired, and can’t see spending my dwindling funds on a subscription service. Craftsy, I wish you hadn’t sold out to the big guy!

I am intrigued. I would rather watch Craftsy than drivel television. As long as I get to keep access to the classes I already purchased, why not also have a monthly subscription for all you care to watch.

I am not interested in the subscription model. I was originally reluctant the purchase the online classes because of the risk of the company going under and losing the purchased classes. This is still a risk. I would like to have had the option of purchasing the classes in DVD mode. I understand that this in now an option but does not help me “own” the many classes that I have already purchased.

Hi, Karen. Depending on the cost, I might be a subscriber. I like to sew, but I also dapple in knitting and crochet, as well as photography, and I’m interested in learning hand-lettering. I think a subscription would make it much more likely that I try classes that are outside my sewing focus.

You know I was thinking the same thing depending on the length of time one has to subscribe and the cost. I would like to take better photographs and possible start doing wirework again, so it would be nice to see what was being taught first before deciding to purchase the entire lesson.

My understanding is that any purchased class if mine forever. I am not concerned about losing my existing classes. I am happy if I can continue to purchase classes as this is my preference.
I do not belong to any subscription service because I am sporadic in my viewing. I either binge watch a class or classes, or don’t look at anything for weeks at a time.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention, I don’t recall receiving any email notifications from Craftsy yet, but I guess we will all have to brace for the marketing yet to come 🙂
Happy crafting to all and regards from Melbourne Australia

I don’t like the idea of a subscription either….I never joined their competitor either for those reasons and classes were priced to high….I feel that over the years Craftsy has raised the prices on classes that over reach most peoples budgets…While a few classes I have taken turned out well their were a few that I never made the project because the video didn’t line up with written directions on a multi pattern and even contacting instructor was difficult to understand directions. I prefer the ala carte and also wish the classes were made more affordable. Anything over 14.99 is not worth it to me when I have to print out all the patterns or recipes…some classes had so much paper for me to print out that it was not worth it…I could have gone to a local store and paid less for the same pattern in a quilt shop. If Craftsy continues to raise prices I will unsubscribe and I do not plan on participating on a monthly subscription.

From reading the letter, if I understand it correctly, those of us who have purchased classes will continue to have them available. The subscription for a monthly fee, will only apply to people who may desire to have this option and they will have access to all the classes. For those that subscribe, if they find a class that they want to keep, then they will be able to purchase it and the class or classes they purchase will go into their personal library.

I have no problems with this, since the classes that I’ve purchased will continue to be available to me at no additional cost. I have most certainly benefited from the many reduced price classes. However, unlike some I have asked Craftsy to stop having so many sales because I was becoming worried about the health of the company. The only problem I see is the subscription cost is going to have to be high enough to prevent people from just subscribing and there should be an incentive for them to purchase the classes they want to review frequently.

Juley, I commented below and then upon closing the app, I saw your first paragraph. It read so much like mine. I gasped. I wanted to apologize in case you were offended. I didn’t wish to appear to plagiarize you, since I didn’t read your comment until after I had wrote my comment, but I am amazed at our comments similarities. I’m a happy Craftsy member too! Hope you weren’t offended. Best regards!

Nope. I won’t subscribe to this obvious money grab. If I want a class, I will buy it. I don’t watch often and for that reason would pay many months that I didn’t watch. I will stick with paying at the time I want something, not every stinking month! Craftsy just figured out how to get more money, mostly for nothing as I don’t imagine there are many people that would be watching every single month!

I belong to creativebug and it is not comparable to craftsy. I have payed so much money on classes at craftsy it actually makes me sick to see others are going to possibly get as many classes as they want for less than i payed for one class. I will have to see price, but am pretty sure i will get a subscription. But, it does make me angry that I payed so much. I just hope they have some type of benefit to those who have already payed so much in classes.

Just to explain, when i say it is not comparable, I mean that craftsy instructors are outstanding. They teach on a higher level. In creative bug it is the same instructors over and over. Craftsy you have experts and even famous people giving instruction. when i’m done with a class i feel like i took a class in person and have the understanding to teach someone myself. So to think that we would expect craftsy to charge 5 dollars month for all classes would not be realistic if we want to continue the higher quality of instructors.

As I understand what I have read this monthly subscription is in addition to the already purchase class and keep forever system. A plus to the monthly subscription appears that you will be able to peruse all the classes that Craftsy offers. Thus you might find a creative genre that you didn’t know you had an interest. Thus desiring then to purchase to keep in your library. I can appreciate that not only does the co. desire to make money to sustain itself and continue on line for all our profit, this new system would also provide a versatile option desireable to more diverse subscriber incomes.

Personally, I love the idea and will be a subscriber if the cost is not exorbitant. I like the idea to purchase a class if it’s one you want to keep forever. I’ve bought several classes so far that I was a bit disappointed in. I requested refunds on two or three and received the refunds quickly. I like the idea of trying out lots of different classes without purchasing each one. But I am a heavy Craftsy user. I listen to classes over again while I am quilting, or sewing, or knitting, just as interesting topics while I am working.

It seems to me that many people are making speculations as to what will and will not happen when Craftsy adds a subscription feature. The article above clearly states it will still offer the ala carte version, as well as the ability to purchase a class a person particularly loves. I have purchased many Craftsy classes and have wondered why they didn’t offer a subscription option. There are many people such as myself who have more than one or two favorites when it comes to arts, crafts, and techniques.

I have subscribed to several other such sites, and would much rather watch this type of content than that which a person gets on Cable, HBO, etc. I am willing to bet that the majority of you who are making negative assumptions pay some sort of cable bill that is fairly expensive. Do you get to keep the content from it?? You don’t after you cancel your account, unless you go to ITunes and buy it there. So why is that any different from what Craftsy is proposing?

Another point I would like to make is that you can cancel your membership at any time (and, if like another subscriber service I use,) can rejoin at any time. I have done this when I became interested in more than whatever subscription site had to offer.

Please don’t be a naysayer about something which we don’t yet know all the information. I, myself, am not concerned about having permanent access to classes I have purchased–if they didn’t allow us to, don’t you think that would kill customer interest in the site overall?

Let’s try to focus on the positive aspects here. For some of us, this is a wonderful addition to Craftsy’s options. For those of you who don’t subscribe, you can continue to do what you are already doing. I, personally, will say, “Sign me up!!!!!”

Disclaimer: I am not trying to diss anyone about their opinions. I am merely hoping to provide what could be another type of opinion.

I agree. Although I realize that the article was edited to give more info, people seem to have made assumptions before certain facts were even discussed (such as thinking they would be required to subscribe to access “forever” content already purchased… that seems never to have been said or implied).

I have not really gotten into Craftsy because of the high cost of individual classes and what seemed like limited instruction in each. Meaning: for the cost, I could take an “in person”, a private class and learn exactly what I need. Frankly, I’d rather spend my money on books and materials, then use youtube. I’ve never much cared for the slowness of watching and rewatching a video to learn anyway, but it has its place.

I have however used Craftsy to buy patterns, if it’s my only choice of vendor (I use Ravelry to find them first).

But I was looking at their catalog recently to see if I could find instruction in other crafts and skills (soldering actually, but I actually want something for electronics. Then I’d use those skills in some jewelry too, if I learn. Craftsy however has only intermediate, jewelry soldering classes).

So they didn’t have what I needed, but I saw a few other interesting classes and subjects… and the cost was MUCH too high. So I might be interested in a subscription model, if it was under $10 because I wouldn’t care about keeping it forever. Once learned, why keep a video? I’d rather buy a book as my refresher, and for more instruction on a subject than rewatching the same video could give me.

However, the deal breaker would be … if I can’t get access to the patterns, so I can buy materials and actually USE the class instruction, then a subscription model makes no sense. Better to just have more preview clips, so people can have a better idea of a class’ value.

Maybe Craftsy isn’t meant for more independent learners such as myself. But I’ll continue to follow their progress and see if more subjects become covered in future.

What about the SUPER USERS who bought 300+ or 400+ classes? Are they getting life time acces to the site? It will not make them happy if newbies to the site get all those classes for as little as 10-20 dollars a month 🙁

I do like the subscription model, A LOT, because that would have saved me thousands of dollars! But without life time access for the SUPER USERS i think i would feel very betrayed – if Craftsy already knows for years they would create a subscription model… they sold their classes without telling the customers!

At the moment i think that would stop me from crafting products from craftsy.

How many times do they have to make it clear over and over and over that if you have purchased classes in the past they will remain yours to keep. The subscription is just another option, the à la cart system will continue as well. Personally, I’m excited about the subscription option-I’m a serial crafter and right now I’m really learning how to sew and I like the idea of having access to several classes at a time to increase my skills

As noted, the article was edited. It wasn’t clear upon the first announcement, but later when Craftsy clarified the plan, we updated the article. A lot of the comments you see are based on the first pass.

First I would like to thank Craftsy for the free view of all the classes recently. I have hobbies………..and I know as long as I remain in my right mind, with decent health, and I’m able to breath I will be adding more hobbies. I’m so looking forward to retirement and gardening once again. I’m going to have to learn how to quilt to be able to use up a lot of garment fabric. So I see even more classes in my future.

I like the idea of the subscription because as one lady stated it will probably save me money in the long run. I will know what I’m getting before purchasing the class. Over the years I have purchased a few classes from Craftsy that I considered totally worthless. Not because the class wasn’t good but because they were basically beginner classes. I know Craftsy would give me a refund, but if I went to a horrible movie and then asked for a refund, the people would laugh me out of the place. So, maybe those classes can be used to help someone’s child I know who wants to learn how to do one of the crafts.

I’m one of those individuals that has a lot of classes and I’m looking forwards to the new changes. I will probably subscribe from time to time to look at the new classes and maybe make decisions of some of the old ones that I didn’t get a chance to peak at to determine if I want to purchase them. I’m a really big Craftsy fan and I tell just about everyone about Craftsy.

I personally think it’s a great idea to make it more affordable to explored beyond what people (like myself), usually buy. I’d be more likely to watch other classes in cooking, photography, mixed media etc. that I wouldn’t normally buy.

With the à la cart system still being available, it’s really a win win situation for everyone. If you want only that, you get only that. If you want to dip your toes into other areas, you will also have that option.

I’ve purchased many classes from Craftsy and will most likely be one to try out their monthly subscription so I can freely explore in areas I have never traveled. I hope one can opt in and out as they would like to and not have to pay for a whole year at a time. That I wouldn’t do.

Last week I signed up for the subscription membership and I’m loving it! I dabble in a bit of everything and tend to read crafting books and watch videos any chance I get. In the past I’ve purchased 7 craftsy lessons but only 2 of those held any useful information for myself. Most of the time I really cannot be sure if I’m familiar with the techniques in a class from the short descriptions. Rarely do I follow along with any diy class in any platform. I’ll listen, absorb and take that information for the next project of that type that I’ll work on. Occasionally I’ll re-watch a section for clarification purposes but that’s it. I actually came to this article because even tho I subscribe, I received a class sale email today and it confused me. I didn’t understand why I would purchase individual classes when they’re already in my subscription and I found out in your article (you can keep the ala cart classes forever as well as download them). Thank you for the informative article! 😊

I have just started to think about using Craftsy. If it becomes subscription only, then I will be totally uninterested in joining. I have enough monthly charges without adding another one which I will only use when I have the time, and my time is already very limited. I am only interested in some things. I don’t have time in my life to explore the vast realm of what Craftsy has to offer. I hope that Craftsy keeps the a la cart system, otherwise, I’m not interested in ever using Craftsy. And by the way, as someone stated that a la cart will always be offered. The word is probably always be offered. That’s nice, but as everyone knows, companies can change their policies almost overnight and nothing is ever written in stone.

How true! Maybe un-native speakers read more carefully. Or maybe Craftsy has made people irritated by their recent moves, so we pick up only negative.
I’m on trial membership now and it is fantastic – as I did (unresponsibly of course) buy at least a class every month anyway – I’m on win position. There are barely no classes (even on sale) for $14.99. It’s like all-you-can-eat buffet.
And I can look all those cake decorating etc classes I would never bought – just for entertainment when doing my craft. And expensive photography ones.
And when I have had enough, I skip the membership. And know what classes I maybe want to keep forever – and what I have exhausted everything useful out without keeping them. And materials I can download and keep forever (if I want to).

When the subscription launches there will be exclusive content that’s only available to subscribers. So you’ll be able to buy and keep your a la carte classes, or subscribe to see everything including this new exclusive content. It’s a shift in business model and it takes time to refine so I don’t think I’d characterize it as going behind customers’ backs. It’s just a change.

Kristine
on November 13, 2017 at 5:45 pm

It is not about keeping the a la carte courses. Of course they are ours forever, we paid and got the deal for it. You still don’t understand it, or you work for craftsy.

Truth is: the last years people paid thousands of dollars for courses that newbies are now are getting for a superlow monthly fee. What these customers paid was say 600 or 1200 dollar in a year. Now newbies get this for 19.95 per month.
Craftsy knew they would get this subscription model for years but did not inform their (formerly) loyal customers(!!!). And untill this moment many loyal Craftsy customers are still uninformed! These customers were and are still paying for courses… even though they could have saved a lot of money by just simply and ethically being informed about this socalled “shift in business model”.

Well this shift fills your wallets for sure – but it hurts in our wallets and morally it is just plain wrong too.

My crafting network friends and I are disgusted about this. It is all and only about the money. Craftsy can just take down all the pictures with friendly smily faces and cutesy stuff – and just show blingbling and big dollarsigns.

I have been with Craftsy since 2014 and own many classes. Just this morning, I got an email from them saying they haven’t heard from me in awhile and wouldn’t I want to buy a class for $14.99? Funny how they are still wanting me to purchase a class, but then failed to tell me that that purchase will be available with a subscription soon. Not nice. So just now, I stumbled upon the news about them going to the membership mode. I don’t mind the change as long as the cost will be below $10 a month. I might subscribe every so often, but not every month. Why would I? I don’t look at my classes much as it is. I never did like how they did their painting classes and told them so many times. No one listened or cared for my advice. Can’t see that it will matter now, whatever we think, since, from the gist of the upper management’s excitement about overseas markets, that’s where they believe the growth (i.e. money) will come them, not from us old-timers.

i hope that a bigger company will get on the ball and offer downloads for android. i don’t have have unlimited data to watch the videos when i want. i can’t afford to buy classes and buy an apple product. I like to watch my videos while on the train while going to work to get a jest of the class then more in-depth when i am home.

Am I the only one that Loves this move, I have bought 80 classes and do not regret it at all. I have learned a ton from Craftsy. I sew and that’s what most of my classes are. I am looking forward to cooking classes and garden and how about giving drawing a try. I have been dreaming they would do this for years.

Hi Jeanne, No, don’t feel alone. I haven’t wanted to waste the energy getting into the mostly negative convos. I love the high quality Craftsy platform for learning and am looking forward to enjoying the wider variety of classes…especially cooking. I live far from the lovely but limited learning resources offered where I live, so Craftsy is golden to me. Melekalikimaka from a very rural area of the Big Island of Hawaii.

You’re not the only one. I have bought tons of classes, and spend well over $120 a year on classes (their current annual subscription rate). The risk is that whenever I quit the subscription, I won’t have access to anything I’ve watched post-subscribing. It’s clear you will get to keep what you have previously purchased a la carte. However, I would note, that with this new revenue stream, it is possible Craftsy won’t have as many sales on the a la carte classes. I wouldn’t be surprised if the classes rarely go on sale. And I bet they offer a lot more technique mini-classes for subscribers only. They will definitely up the ante to entice subscribers.

I just got THE email from Craftsy finally explaining all this. $14.99 a month is way too much. I would have considered it at $9.99. Isn’t that other one by JoAnn’s $4.99? Wow, I wonder if Craftsy will also have ‘sales’ on the monthly fee/yearly fee. I know other sites do that a lot. So, I will wait. Until then, I’ll just not even watch the ones I own. 😉

I actually like this new subscription model. I think one has to weigh how often they purchase from Craftsy. In the last year I spent approx $500 on classes. Yes, I have them forever, but rarely do I rewatch once I have mastered the technique I wanted to learn. That $500 equates to 3 years subscription- viewing all their content and in other areas that I am developing interest.

I will admit I had the “ Oh no they’re going to change into a creative bug !” It’s pretty obvious we all love the in depth classes and keeping them is an attractive part of Craftsy to me . Yet , I do think all the concern about losing the classes already purchased individually is unfounded . The two Apps are even separated. You own those as they state clearly forever . That would be asking for legal trouble and an end to a business that’s thriving . Craftsy clearly states all classes bought individually are still there and no change will happen . So , it’s safe to say that’s not an issue . What will happen to future content on the unlimited subscriptions video quality is yet to be seen . If they produce shorter videos or lower quality than has been it would be a poor business choice as the brand will lose consumer trust as well as our business. I think this is another way for them to present content , although I’m somewhat skeptical of their ability to keep the quality that’s made them different , as long as the Craftsy we know and love stays available as an option – let’s give them a chance . They’ve certainly earned my trust . Hoping they continue 🙂 I did sign up for the 7 day trial subscription. Happy creating people !

I just found this site yesterday. Bummer. I’m Permanently Disabled & unfortunately on many medications to tamp down the pain signals to my brain (side effect, it tampens me down as well. I could go a whole month without touching a craft, book or computer depending on the weather & what I’ve done the day before. Without going into too much more vaudville. I’m quite accident prone. In my 49 years on this planet I’ve had over 17 surgeries & who knows how many “proceedures” That’s just background so you understand why I’m not consistent with crafting. When I’m able, I enjoy – Quilting, Crocheting, Knitting, Cross-Stitching, General Sewing. I’m on permanent Disability & simply can’t afford to pay for something that will charge me even though I’m not using the Services. Such ashame because that I wont be able to stick around this site and all it has to offer. It looks fantastic. Easy Come, Easy Go in life.

I just wanted to provide some feedback concerning my experience with Craftsy. I am a subscriber to their Unlimited service and I LOVE IT! I had previously purchased several classes, but when they came out with their Unlimited Subscription, I immediately signed up. I did so because I have found that the quality of their classes is unrivaled. I can now partake of any of their classes at any time and I have done so. It has enabled me to venture into other areas that I would not have been able to afford previously. The price is fantastic for the services provided and their customer service is the finest that I have encountered in years. My only concern is that I would like to see Craftsy offer discounted shipping when one purchases their Unlimited service on a monthly basis. If I were to pay the annual fee , I would be eligible for free shipping. However, I am unable to pay the annual fee all at once so I opt for the monthly plan. I feel that Craftsy should ve able to offer those of us who pay the monthly plan discounted shipping…something along the lines of 2.99 for shipping on each order. Even if that wouldnt apply until after 3 consecutive months of the monthly plan, it would still be a fantastic benefit and might encourafe more people to sign up for the Unlimited plan. I am hoping that The powers that be at Craftsy are reading these comments and will consider this as an option to include in the monthly Unlimites package. That beong said, I will continue to be a loyal Craftsy customer because the quality of thwir services is well worth the 14.99 a month. It is head and shoulders above all of their competitors. I LOVE my Craftsy!!

I totally LOVE Craftsy Unlimited. Even though I will never do some of the skills taught I love watching the professionals break down the steps and procedures they go through to obtain beautiful results . My go to hobbies are quilting, crochet and decorative painting. But I have watched woodworking, gardening, kids crafts, cookie decorating and many more. I have learned new things every single time. If you love professional projects in all categories, who knows you just might find something else that intrigues you and boom a new hobby. Cheers to Craftsy Unlimited.